


Trust Nobody

by OTTSTF



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 16:59:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19213690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OTTSTF/pseuds/OTTSTF
Summary: Life is good. Life is normal.Jane Hopper and Mike Wheeler are happily in love, spending every second of every day of this summer together. Now, they're spending time at the recently opened fun-fair in celebration of Independence Day.Until it all goes wrong.Who's to blame? Who knows about El? And how can they put a stop to it, once and for all?Rating for occasional colourful language.





	Trust Nobody

**Author's Note:**

> Me?  
> Writing a new multi-chapter?  
> When I've got so many others that've just died to never be updated again?
> 
> Damn right.
> 
> The title may change. I'm terrible at thinking of names so for now you'll have to put up with this rubbish.

This is everything he could have ever dreamed of.

Peace, calm, and safety.  
So much so, that he doesn’t even hear the voices of children screaming in excitement, over the sound of metal wheels against metal rails flying past them.

No. All he can focus on is this moment, in this car, on this ferris wheel;  
With El by his side.  
Her arm stretched across his back, and his arm hers. On the way up, with her head against his shoulder, and his head against her smooth strands of hair. Before they know it, they’re at the top, and her excitement is contagious.

She glances around, taking in all there is to see around Hawkins.  
She looks down, seeing how high up from the ground they are. She observes how small people look, and how she can see the entirety of the fairground in front of her.

“It’s beautiful…” she comments.

Beside her, Mike shifts closer, looking over her shoulder as she leans on the railing keeping them enclosed. The soft wind makes her hair flow; something he still can’t get over when he imagines the shaved head she used to sport.

“Yes you are.”

Her head slowly turns to face him; a soft blush with a shy smile upon her face as her eyes find his.  
Eventually, she shakes her head, rolling her eyes.  
“You’re so cliché.”

“You love it.” Mike implies as fact.

She smiles, gazing into his eyes.  
“I love you.”

And the smile that lands on his face, still finding those three words so overwhelming, is huge.  
“I love you too.” he sighs happily, prompting El to slowly close the distance between them.

Even after all this time, kisses like these still get their hearts racing.

“And now we’ve shared a cliché kiss at the top of a ferris wheel.” Mike comments once they eventually separate.

  


 

* * *

  


  


Once the ride brings them back down to Earth, the two teenagers walk hand-in-hand, El leading the way as she spots a stall with huge stuffed animals that have stolen her attention entirely.

Mike loves her excitement. He can’t help but imagine her cheating at a ball throwing game for one of the larger cuddly friends. He doesn’t doubt her skill, but when she can quite literally direct the ball through the air, why wouldn’t she?

He looks around them as they walk, looking for other possible games to play following this one. He sees a few, making mental notes of each one.  
But then his eyes land on the entrance of the park.

There, walking in, he spots three men. All sporting suits, with belts which look bulky enough to carry all sorts of utility. And then, as one of them reaches a hand up to his head, he notices ear pieces on each of them; the one holding what he imagines is a talk button, as he speaks into the air.

He freezes on the spot. He’s not sure why, but his instinct to hide kicks in immediately.

“Mike?” El questions as she’s yanked to a stop.  
“Mike, what’s wrong?”

He doesn’t answer. He physically can’t. He’s frozen in place, staring towards the three.  
El follows his gaze then, finding the three that Mike stares at.

And as she does, the one in front looks towards them, too.  
She feels his gaze staring into her as she watches his expression become more serious and determined.

To her side, Mike’s hold on her hand becomes much tighter than comfortable. But that’s not something to worry about, as Mike finally speaks up.

“Run.”

Although, neither of them move.

“Run!” Mike shouts this time, to himself as much as El, as his body finally catches up with his brain.

El runs alongside Mike, keeping his hand tight in hers as they cross the fairground as fast as they possibly can.

“There’s another exit this way!” El tells Mike, recalling the view from atop the ferris wheel.  
“We can get out through there!”

She drags him along, weaving through the crowd, not looking back. Mike, however, finds it difficult not to. Squinting in attempt to find the stand-out suits that chase them, his head keeps flicking back, although he never slows down. He knows full well that El’s safety and freedom depends on it.

They eventually make it to the other side, panting heavily for breath, but still not stopping. They break through the exit, cutting immediately to the side.

“Those bins, quick.” Mike points. They move to hide behind them, crouched down, trying to regulate their breathing.

“They’ve left the park. East exit.”

Both teens stiffen, listening intently for any footsteps approaching them. Mike tries his best to stay quiet; he doesn’t want to inform the men of their location because of his lack of athletic ability to run and not be out of breath straight after.

He’s so focussed on calming himself that he doesn’t immediately notice El looking to the side of the bin. He’s so scared, and so shocked by it when he _does_ find her peeking, that he can’t help but raise his voice more than he intends to.

“El! What are you doing!?” he tries to pull her back, but to no avail; she’s firm in keeping her eyes on the men that chase them.

Of course, in response to Mike’s startled reaction, the men turn to find El poking her head out at them.

“There they a-”

The voice trails off as Mike watches El flick her head to the side. As if the world is in slow motion, he hears nothing for a brief second, during which he hopes that she hasn’t just done what he thinks she did. But of course, after a few moments, he hears two aggressive thumps to the floor.

He quickly shoots to his feet, and finds the two – now lifeless – men on the floor, with their heads bent at what would be an uncomfortable angle were they alive to feel it.

“El…” Mike gasps, as a new fear settles inside him.  
“What have you done?”

“I’m protecting us…” she tells him simply, which of course, is the truth.

Mike wants to remind her of the consequences of her actions, especially  _that_ action, but there’s no time. Instead he quickly runs to the front of the bins they had hidden behind, and flings one of their lids open.

“Quickly, put them in here.” he asks El, which even in this situation, feels strange. He never likes asking El to use her telekinetic powers; he sometimes outright refuses the party’s requests on her behalf, as he doesn’t want her to think they only want her for her abilities.

But El, being the person she is, never cares. As soon as he says it, the bodies are levitated upward and towards the top of the bin.

“Gently.” Mike tells her as she begins to lower the bodies. A loud clang into a metal bin is the last thing they need in this situation.

As soon as the bodies touch down, the lid flings closed, seemingly of its own accord. And then, as El grabs Mike’s hand and pulls him away, they’re running again, far away from the festival that they’d looked so forward to wasting all their money in.

  


 

* * *

  


  


“For fuck’s sake…” Hopper complains after being told the news by the kids.  
“For fucks sake!” he shouts louder, with so much rage that he can’t help but throw the mug of coffee he had in his hands full force towards the kitchen, having it shatter into pieces onto the floor, thankfully having being emptied by the man prior.

“How did they find you? Where have you been, what have you been doing?” the man demands, letting the worry of a protective father run through his veins.

“Hopper, I promise you. Everywhere we’ve been, we’ve told you. She’s not used her powers _anywhere_.” Mike insists. “We’ve just… we’ve just been normal teenagers. I promise.”

Hopper huffs, the rage inside him clearly not sated by the shattering of his mug. The anger in his eyes is bright  and powerful, and had Mike not been as  close to the man as he is thanks to the girl he’d adopted, he’d be scared of the look on the man. But instead, Mike sees the other emotion floating around those aged eyes of his: fear. 

The man has worked so hard to give El a normal life; a life free of experiments, of poking or prodding. He’d quickly grown to think of the girl as his own daughter over the first year of caring for her (even if she begged to see the Wheeler boy every single day). He’d worked day in and day out to give her the life she deserved. But now – if those two bodies in a dumpster had anything to say – all of that is at risk. Someone has found  _Jane Hopper’s_ true identity, and is now out to get her.

“I don’t want to stay inside again…” El begs her father, dreading the thought of re-living that year of total isolation.

“I’m not going to make you.” Hopper agrees.

“But-” Mike is about to question the man’s judgement, even if it does mean keeping El locked up.

“ _But…_ ” Hopper interrupts, “… you can’t go out to things like that any more. Not until we know it’s safe again.”

El’s face drops immediately in response. She knew this would be the outcome.

“I know you’re going to hate it, kid, but I want you to stay inside for a week. You’re not grounded – you’re not even in trouble, but we need to lay low if there are people out there looking for you.”

El nods, accepting the fate. At least it’s a week, not a  _year_ .

“After that, we go back to the first phase. You can visit Mike, you can visit Will. If the party wants to see you, it’s at either of those places, where adults who _know_ about you are there so supervise. I don’t want anybody coming here. Not if we’re being followed.”

“Do I tell my parents about what happened?” Mike asks the man, who visibly considers it for a moment, before nodding his head.

“The more people who know what to expect, the better. They know about El, we’ve kept them out of the dark for a while now so we shouldn’t start keeping secrets from them again. I’ll come with you and explain it to them myself.”

Mike nods in agreement.  
“We need to tell Mrs. Byers too, and then I can tell the rest of the party.”

“Not over the radio.” Hopper tells him firmly. “They’re probably listening to everything. You need to tell them in person, and in private.”

Mike agrees, forming a plan of action in his head to get the party together for a meeting.

The three of them give themselves a few minutes, so that they can clear their minds, and calm down as much as they possibly can in the current situation. But shortly after, Hopper calls it a night.

“Okay Mike, come on, I’ve got to get you home.”

“Wh-what?” Mike questions in disbelief. “If I’m not going to see El for a week, at least let me spend the day with her.”

“The week will fly by.” Hopper tells Mike firmly. “Besides, if we go telling your parents about this and they think I didn’t bring you straight home, they’ll want my head on a platter.”

Mike looks over to El, with sorrow filling both of their faces.

“I’ll give you both a few minutes to say your goodbyes, and then I’m coming to get you.” Hopper says, stepping outside to get his vehicle ready.

  


Within seconds, El is holding onto Mike for dear life as she lets the fear and sorrow flow out through her eyes. Hearing her sobs, Mike can’t help but let his own break out as he holds El tight.

“It won’t be long.” Mike promises. “A week goes by so quickly.”

“I know… but that’s not the problem.” El tells him.  
“They… found me. The bad men… found me again.”

“Hey.” Mike pulls back a bit, holding her shoulders. “Look at me, El.”

She does, with her red, watery eyes that make Mike’s heart throb in pain.

“We won’t let them find you again. We’ll find out who’s the cause of this, and we’ll get rid of them. I promise.”

She nods her head, taking in a deep, shaky breath as she lets her head fall back to his chest.

In no time at all, but three minutes according to the man, Hopper knocks the door before walking back into the cabin.

“Come on, Mike.” he calls. “We’ve got to go, kid.”

Accepting that he can’t delay any longer, Mike pulls back from El one last time, nodding his head.

“I’ll see you soon. And… we can talk in the void, like we’ve been practising.”

El nods, smiling softly.

“We’ll nail that some day El. I know we will.”

She nods again. “Promise.”

“Promise.” Mike agrees, before leaning in.

He doesn’t care that her adoptive father is just at the door; Mike’s not letting this week start without showing El how much she means to him, the best way he knows how. And she kisses him right back, feeling the emotion behind his lips surge through her own veins as they do so.

They break their kiss seconds later, knowing it’ll never be enough to express their feelings.

“I love you, Mike.” she finally tells him, with so much emotion behind the words that even through they’ve been saying it for a while, it still hits Mike’s gut aggressively.

“I love you too, El.” he promises with all his heart.

And then, as much as hit hurts to do so, Mike lets her slip from his grasp as he backs away towards Hopper, who simply steps out of the way so that the boy can pass through the doorway.

“I’ll see you soon.”

El can only nod in response. And then, all too soon, Mike has disappeared outside the cabin.

“I won’t be long.” her father tells her, again only receiving a nod in response. And then, the door is closed, and she is alone.

All over again.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback good or bad, feed me please. It all helps so much.
> 
> I love you all.


End file.
